Weekly Times | AFL Barwon’s announcement that it has delayed the start of its proposed restructure of three seniors leagues has been well received by some clubs.
Clubs were informed yesterday the AFL Barwon commission had committed to beginning its restructure of the Geelong, Bellarine and Geelong and District competitions in the 2019 season.
The vision is to install a four-tiered promotion-relegation structure, which AFL Barwon hopes will help competition equalisation and club sustainability, both for existing and new clubs.
The Geelong league will be reduced from 12 clubs to 10, the Bellarine competition is to remain at 10 clubs, and the Geelong and District league will be split into two divisions.
Criteria to be used to assess which competition clubs should play in include its football and netball performance, junior participation, coaching, club governance and finances.
But winning senior premierships will factor in clubs’ promotion, and the opposite — a wooden spoon — will potentially in their relegation.
AFL Barwon’s restructure plans were unveiled in February, but the time frames proposed then were altered after feedback from those involved.
Geelong West-St Peter’s president Paul Eastman said the Roosters, who play in the Geelong league, were pleased AFL Barwon had “responded to the concerns of the clubs”.
“Pretty much their response is in line with what the clubs were asking for. We were asking for more time, asking for netball to be considered,” Eastman said.
“At this stage we’re quite happy with that response. We’re under no illusions that we have a lot of work ahead of us, but at this stage we’re pleased AFL Barwon and the commission have worked with local football.”
Modewarre Football Club president Mick Fitzgerald said the Warriors, in the Bellarine league, were “comfortable” with having the changes pushed back to 2019.
He said it would allow time for changes implemented this year — a statewide players points policy and salary cap specific to the region — to have an impact.
“In essence the time frame given for a 2019 changeover gives a lot of clubs a lot of time to position themselves to stay in the league they want to stay in, or compete in the league they want to be in,” Fitzgerald said.
“From our club’s point of view, we’re happy to progress along and see how it all pans out.”
The president of another Bellarine club, Greg Collier from Drysdale, said it was time to acknowledge there were reasons for change and the league had been “very strategic” in helping clubs understand what it would measure them on beyond on-field performance.
He said the club was comfortable in the Bellarine league at the moment, but with the town’s rate of population growth it should have long-term aspirations involving the premier competition.
“I think (the time frame) calls on volunteers, like myself and my committee and other volunteers around the club, to be accountable to the future of the game and I kind of like that,” Collier said.
But East Geelong football director and former president Michael O’Leary and North Geelong president Jason Habib, both from the Geelong and District league, said AFL Barwon needed to look at junior football structures in the region.
AFL Barwon informed clubs it would undertake a junior football review, as well as reviews into junior netball and the impact of player points system and salary cap at senior sporting level between now and the end of the 2018 season.
O’Leary said a restructure of senior competitions would “probably not” help in any regard, and voiced concerns for volunteer numbers at clubs which were demoted.
“There’s question marks about the success of it and why we’re doing it, but it is good that we have delayed it a bit longer to ensure the points system and salary cap can be embedded and see whether that is advantageous and equalising and making clubs more sustainable,” he said.
AFL Barwon region general manager Lee Hartman has been contacted for comment.